SEO · Website health · AI search
5 Common SEO Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The same five problems come up in almost every audit, and all of them are fixable.
The short version
- Guessing your keywords instead of checking what people actually type.
- A site that's awkward on a phone, where most of your visitors are.
- Titles and descriptions left to chance, costing you clicks you've already earned.
- Pages competing with each other for the same search.
- No links pointing at you, because nobody has been asked.
After more than a decade of auditing websites, I've stopped being surprised by what I find. It's rarely anything exotic. It's the same five problems, on sites built by good people who had no reason to know better.
The good news is that all five are fixable, and most of them are fixable this month.
Mistake 1: Guessing your keywords
Most businesses describe what they do in their own language, then assume customers search for it that way. They usually don't. Internal terms, industry jargon and product names rarely match what someone types when they have a problem to solve.
How to avoid it: start with the questions you're actually asked, in your inbox and on the phone. Then check the language against a keyword tool. You're not only after volume: relevance and competition matter more. A term ten people search with intent to buy beats a thousand browsing.
Mistake 2: Treating mobile as an afterthought
Most people will see your website on a phone. Yet plenty of sites are still designed on a wide desktop screen and checked on one.
How to avoid it: open your own site on your phone and try to do what a customer would: find a price, read a page, make an enquiry. If it's slow, fiddly or the text needs pinching, that's what your customers are experiencing. Speed matters just as much as layout, because a slow page loses people before they've seen anything.
It's rarely anything exotic. It's the same five problems, on sites built by good people who had no reason to know better.
Mistake 3: Ignoring titles and meta descriptions
These are the headline and blurb people see in search results. They don't change whether you rank, but they decide whether anyone clicks. I've seen businesses sitting at position seven with almost no clicks, purely because their listing gave nobody a reason to choose it.
How to avoid it: write every title and description for a person, not an algorithm. Each page needs its own. Include the term naturally, say what the page offers, and give a reason to click.
Mistake 4: Pages competing with each other
Duplicate content is one problem. The more common one is near-duplication: five thin pages all circling the same topic. Search engines can't tell which to show, so they often show none of them.
How to avoid it: one question, one page, answered properly. If you already have several thin pages on a topic, merge the best of them into one strong page and redirect the rest. It's exactly what I did with this blog, and it's the fastest way to strengthen a site that's been publishing for years.
Mistake 5: Doing nothing about backlinks
Links from other websites remain one of the strongest signals of trust. Most businesses have earned more than they realise, from suppliers, associations, local media and clients, and have never asked for a single one.
How to avoid it: start with the relationships you already have. Industry bodies you belong to, partners who list suppliers, events you've spoken at, podcasts you've appeared on. Quality matters far more than quantity, and earned links beat paid ones every time.
The sixth mistake, new for 2026
Writing only for Google, when a growing share of your audience is asking ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI summaries instead. Those tools quote content that answers a question directly, shows real experience and names a real author. There's more on this in SEO and content marketing: how they work together.
SEO never stands still
Search engines keep refining how they decide what to show, so what worked two years ago may not work now. That's not a reason to chase every update, but it is a reason to check your foundations regularly rather than setting them once and forgetting them.
If you'd rather someone else kept up with it, that's what my SEO services are for, and evaluating the right SEO consultant or agency covers what to ask before you hire anyone.
Frequently asked questions
Which mistake should I fix first?
Whichever is costing you most. If you rank but get few clicks, fix your titles and descriptions. If people leave quickly, look at mobile and speed. If you rank for nothing, start with keywords and content.
How do I know if I have duplicate or competing pages?
Search your own site in Google using site:yourdomain.com followed by a topic. If several of your pages come back for the same term, they're competing.
Do I need to buy backlinks?
No, and I'd avoid it. Paid links carry risk and rarely carry the trust that earned ones do. Start with the organisations and people who already know you.
How often should I audit my website?
Once or twice a year is enough for most established businesses, plus any time you redesign, migrate or notice a drop in traffic.
Written by
Doreen Brown
SEO and visibility consultant and founder of Let's Get Visible®, helping established businesses get seen, found and chosen on Google and in AI search.
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